Translate

Sunday, June 8, 2014

the Holy Spirit!

John 20:19-23
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

Exhortations

Do you know and experience in your own life the gift and power of the Holy Spirit? After his death and resurrection Jesus promised to give his disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit.

He said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit!

Jesus knew that his disciples would need the power of the Holy Spirit to carry out the mission entrusted to them.

The gift of the Holy Spirit was conditional upon the ascension of Jesus to the right hand of the Father. That is why Jesus instructed the apostles to wait in Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high.

Why did they need power from on high? The Gospels tell us that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit when he was baptized at the Jordan River.

Just as Jesus was anointed with the Spirit at the beginning of his ministry, so the disciples needed the anointing of the Holy Spirit to carry out the mission entrusted to them by Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is given to all who are baptized into Jesus Christ to enable us to live a new way of life - a life of love, peace, joy, and righteousness.

The Holy Spirit fills our hearts with the love of God, and he gives us the strength and courage we need in order to live as faith-filled disciples of the Lord Jesus.

The Spirit helps us in our weakness, and enables us to grow in spiritual freedom - freedom from doubt, fear, and from slavery to our unruly desires.

The Spirit instructs us in the ways of God, and guides us in living according to God's will.

The Spirit is the source and giver of all holiness. Isaiah foretold the seven-fold gifts that the Spirit would give: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.

The gift of Pentecost - the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the spiritual gifts and blessings of God - are made possible through the death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus.

After his resurrection Jesus "breathed" on his disciples and gave them the Holy Spirit. Just as God breathed life into Adam, so the gift of the Holy Spirit is an impartation of "new life" for his people.

With the gift of the Holy Spirit a new creation begins.

God recreates us for his glory. Jesus' gift of peace to his disciples was more than an absence of trouble.

His peace included the forgiveness of sins and the fulness of everything good.

Do you want power to live a faith-filled life as a disciple of Jesus? Ask the Father to fill you with the power of his Holy Spirit.

The Lord Jesus offers each one of us the gift and power of his Holy Spirit.

He wants to make our faith strong, give us hope that endures, and a love that never grows cold.

He never refuses to give his Spirit to those who ask with expectant faith.

Jesus instructed his disciples to ask confidently for the gift of the Spirit: "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!".

Do you thirst for God and for the abundant life he offers through the gift of his Spirit?

The truth about me

I Joined the Monastery of Christ in the Desert NM, USA and became monk in year 2002. I started blogging in 2004. In 2008, my superior sent me to the seminary. In 2010, I left my monastic Community to attend to my mother who was seriously injured from an accident. I applied for monastic exclaustration in the same year. My mother passed in December,2011. I stayed in Los Angeles, California and worked as Director of Activities in a retirement facility. I continued serving God as volunteer Catechist in the Religious Education Faith Formation Program of St Genevieve Religious Education School in Panorama City, CA. IN 2014 of August, I was offered to teach in a public school of Gallup District. In November of the same year, I accepted a teaching ministry in a Middle school at Zuni.

Advisory:

mY fOllowers

sitewide disclosure policy

This policy is valid from 03 January 2008.
This blog is a 'one-for-all' type of blog which is written and edited by me. This blog does not only contain my personal reflections and views about my faith and belief, but as well as a record of facts and events of past, present and future programs of structures in life.
This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation for the purpose of the author's program of apostolate. The proceeds are directly forwarded as charity to a group of financially challenged families in the Philippines.
This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. I believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received does not influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly and specifically identified as paid or sponsored content.
The owner of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner of this blog receives compensation for the posts or advertisements, he always gives his honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products.
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the author's own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.
This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.
To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org.